Obama tabs Chicagoan as top U.S. educator

CHICAGO, D.C., Dec. 16 (UPI) -- President-elect Barack Obama Tuesday called on Arne Duncan, a Chicago educator and fellow hoopster, to be his nominee for U.S. education secretary.

Duncan, a Harvard-educated administrator who has been chief executive officer of the Chicago public schools since 2001, is known for lobbying for more funding and smaller classes, while pushing for greater teacher and school accountability.

"But we know that in the long run the path to jobs and growth begins right here, in America's schools, in America's classrooms," Obama said during a news conference at Dodge Renaissance Academy, which Duncan closed because of poor performance and later reopened to success.

The nation needs a new vision that brings teachers, students, administrators and parents to the table, Obama said, and Duncan is the man for the job.

"When it comes to school reform, Arne is the most hands-on of hands-on practitioners," Obama said. "For Arne's school reform isn't just a theory in a book, it's the cause of his life."

Under Duncan's leadership, Obama said, "we will bring our education system and our economy into the 21st century, and give all of our kids a chance to succeed."

While many issues will vie for Obama's attention, "I am convinced that no issue is more pressing than education," Duncan said. "Whether it's fighting poverty, strengthening our economy, or promoting opportunity, education is the common thread."

"It is the civil rights issue of our generation," said Duncan, who played professional basketball in Australia, "and it is the one sure path to more equal, fair and just society."